--Information does not
support the solution to the challenge or question.

--Information has no apparent
pattern.

--Presentation appears sloppy
and/or unfinished.

--Multimedia is overused or
underused.

--Format does not enhance
content.

--Presentation has no clear
organization.

Rubrics are all the rage in
assessing student work. Fads not withstanding, they work. Students
can see what the teacher expects and can essentially grade their own
projects.

This is a rubric pulled from the Microsoft
website. It's a generic rubric that is modified to fit specific
projects.

Students in Essential Skills will always have
access to the rubric applicable to the project du jour.

Education experts
believe that rubrics improve students' end products and therefore
increase learning. When teachers evaluate papers or projects, they
know implicitly what makes a good final product and why. When
students receive rubrics beforehand, they understand how they will
be evaluated and can prepare accordingly. Developing a grid and
making it available as a tool for students' use will provide the
scaffolding necessary to improve the quality of their work and
increase their knowledge.

Rubrics offer
several advantages.

Rubrics improve student performance by
clearly showing the student how their work will be evaluated and
what is expected.

Rubrics help students become better judges of
the quality of their own work.

Offers biased interpretations of evidence,
statements, graphics, questions, information, or the
points of view of others.
Fails to identify or hastily dismisses strong, relevant
counter-arguments.
Ignores or superficially evaluates obvious alternative
points of view
Argues using fallacious or irrelevant reasons, and
unwarranted claims.
Regardless of the evidence or reasons, maintains or
defends views based on self-interest or preconceptions.
Exhibits close-mindedness or hostility to reason.

In Essential Skills, classroom discussions are conducted with the
intent of developing level 4 thinking skills. These skills are then
expected to be applied to all projects and classroom assignments.

This rubric is based on the work of Peter Facione and
Noreen Facione. They have developed the four-level Holistic Critical
Thinking Scoring Rubric to assess the critical thinking skills and
some of the dispositions identified by the Delphi project as these
skills are demonstrated by students in essays, projects,
presentations, clinical practices, and such.